Ensuring Proper Installation & Maintenance
Smoke alarms that are properly installed and maintained play a vital role in reducing fire deaths and injuries. Having a working smoke alarm cuts the chances of dying in a reported fire in half.
Facts & Figures
- A 2008 survey found that 96 percent of U.S. households had at least one smoke alarm, yet in 2003-06, no smoke alarms were present or none operated in roughly 2 in 5 (41 percent) of the reported home fires.
- Almost two-thirds of reported home fire deaths in 2003-06 resulted from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms.
- When smoke alarms fail to operate, it is usually because batteries are missing, disconnected or dead.
Source
This information comes from
NFPA's "
Smoke Alarms in U.S. Home Fires" by Marty Ahrens, September 2009.